Ribbon or tape or the like and process for manufacturing the same



p 1, 1970 JEAN JACQUES WALTER 3,526,565

RIBBON OR TAPE OR THE LIKE AND PROCESS FOR MANUFACTURING THE SAME Filed June 7, 1966 m T N E V N JER 1v JR CQUESWALTER B7 M M $14M a MW'l/I/J" United States Patent Office 3,526,565 Patented Sept. 1, 1970 20,124 Int. Cl. D0311 5/00, 47/46; D04h 1/04 US. Cl. 161-78 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A ribbon, tape, or the like is formed by a sheet of parallel warp threads and a weft thread on at least one surface of the sheet and extending sinuously from one edge of the sheet to the other. Each weft thread remains continuously on the same surface of the sheet. The weft threads comprise a heat-resistant core enveloped in a layer of thermofusible material. The warp threads are interconnected by being partially imbedded in the thermofusible layer of the weft threads. The ribbon, tape, or the like is formed by passing a sheet of parallel warp threads and two pairs of binding warp threads, one at each selvedge of the sheet, through a ribbon loom. Only the selvedge binding warp threads go through heddles to receive the conventional shedding motion, whereas the warp threads remain constantly parallel and in the same plane. A shuttle places a weft thread in sinuously extending relation on at least one of the two surfaces of the sheet and over the entire width of the sheet. The weft threads are secured to each of the edges of the sheet by the two pairs of binding warp threads which reverse their position after each passage of the shuttle. The assembly is then passed between heating rollers which temporarily fuse the coating layers of the weft threads for imbedding of the warp threads thereinto.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a novel kind of ribbon or tape or the like of use in the manufacture of laminates.

The invention provides a ribbon or tape or the like formed by a sheet of parallel warp threads, rovings, or braids interconnected on at least one surface of the sheet by a weft thread, roving, or braid which extends sinuously from one edge of the sheet to the other and which is firmly connected to the sheet by an adhesive.

A ribbon, tape, or the like of this nature has several advantages over conventional woven ribbons, tapes, or the like. Longitudinal strength is increased, since the longitudinal components of the ribbon or the like are firmly interconnected by the weft thread and adhesive and so the equal tension introduced at manufacture between the threads remains and is unaffected by user handling. Also, in contrast to what happens with the components of conventional woven ribbons or the like, the longitudinal components of the ribbon or the like are not impaired by abrupt changes in orientation during manufacture, since the longitudinal components always remain parallel and in the same plane during manufacture, whereas in weaving the warp threads are divided periodically into two sheets which experience periodic shedding movements.

Also, the ribbon or the like according to the invention is completely flat, whereas woven ribbons are of course, wavy, due to the presence of all the weft threads.

Very conveniently, the ribbon or the like according to the invention can be embodied as a ribbon or the like of glass fibres, such as, for example, Silionne or Verranne, Silionne or Veranne are trademarks for glass fibres manufactured in France by Socit du Verre Textile, with Silionne designating a multifilament yarn and Verranne designating a staple fibre. Both these trademarks are mentioned in Man-Made Textile Encyclopedia, edited by J. J. Press of the United States Navy Clothing and Textile Research Laboratory and published by Textile Book Publishers, Inc., in New York, this encyclopedia being copyrighted in 1959. Reference is made particularly to pages 134-136, 874 and 878.

The invention also relates to a process for the manufacture of a ribbon, tape, or the like as hereinbefore defined, wherein a sheet of parallel warp threads, rovings, or braids, and two binding warp threads at each selvedge of the sheet, go through a ribbon loom, only the selvedge binding warp threads going through heddles to receive the conventional shedding motion, whereas the warp threads, rovings, or braids remain constantly parallel and in the same plane; and a shuttle places a weft thread associated with an adhesive in sinuously extending relationship on at least one of the two surfaces of the sheet and over the whole width thereof, the weft thread being secured to each of the edges of the sheet by the two binding warp threads which reverse their position after each passage of the shuttle, the weft thread being secured to the warp threads, rovings, or braids of the sheet by the adhesive.

The invention will be better understood from the following description and accompanying drawing, the single figure of which is a diagrammatic perspective view of one form of a ribbon, tape, or the like according to the invention.

The ribbon, tape, or the like according to the invention comprises a sheet of parallel warp threads, rovings, or braids 1 interconnected on each of the two surfaces of the sheet, in this particular example, by two weft threads 2, 2' which extend sinuously from edge to edge of the sheet and which are bonded to the respective surfaces of the sheet by adhesive bonds.

In the example shown, each Weft thread 2, 2 takes the form of a heat-resistant core, which may comprise, for example, Tergal, covered by a layer of a thermofusible substance, such as a polyvinyl compound, which latter serves as an adhesive. As mentioned in Fairchilds Dictionary of Textiles," on page 551, Tergal is a French trademark for polyester yarn and staple, this publication being copyrighted in 1959 by Fairchlid Publications, Inc. of New York, NY.

Once the system has been heated to a high enough temperature to briefly melt the polyvinyl compound layer, the ribbon, tape, or the like finally becomes substantially as indicated by the reference 10 in the right-hand part of the drawing. The various longitudinal components of the sheet, for instance, in the form of glass fibers are firmly interconnected on both surfaces of the sheet by the weft thread 2 stuck to them by the adhesive formed by the melting of the thermoplastic layer covering the Tergal cored threads.

To produce such ribbon or tape or the like, one possible method is as follows:

The sheet of parallel warp threads, rovings, or braids 1, and two pairs of binding threads 4, 5, and 6, 7, one at each selvedge of the sheet, go through a ribbon loom. Only the two selevedge binding thread pairs 4, 5 and 6, 7 go through heddles to receive conventional shedding movements whereas the longitudinal components 1 of the sheet always stay parallel and in the same plane.

Since two weft threads are used in this example, two shuttles are used to move the two weft threads 2, 2' over the two surfaces of the sheet from edge to edge thereof. Each of the two weft threads, e.g. the thread 2, always stays on the same side of the sheet; upon reaching an edge of the sheet the weft thread goes between the two constituent threads of the respective selvedge pair 4, and 6, 7 which reverse theirposition at each passage of the shuttle so that an assembly of the kind shown is formed. The longitudinal components 1 of the sheet are therefore enclosed in a kind of very-large-mesh open-work sheath formed by the two weft threads and the two warp thread selvedges.

At the same place where this assembly has just been effected, the sheet thus treated is heated by going between two heating elements adapted to briefly melt the polyvinyl chloride layer covering the two weft threads. In the example shown, the heating elements comprise a top heating roller 11 and a bottom heating roller 12 respectively associated with a bottom roller 13 and a top roller 14. Each of the two rollers 11, 12 is formed, for instance, by an aluminium roller in which electric heating resistances are embedded and which is covered by a layer of Teflon (tetrafluoroethylene). The two back-up rollers 13, 14 are made, for instance, of a heat-resistant natural or synthetic rubber. When the sheet goes between the two heating rollers 11 and 12, the thermofusible layers of the two weft threads 2, 2' melt briefly and from an adhesive which firmly bonds the Tergal-cored thread locally to all the longitudinal components 1 of the sheet.

The end product is a ribbon, tape, or the like, all of whose longitudinal components are parallel and have remained parallel throughout all phases of manufacture of the ribbon or tape or the like and are firmly interconnected by the binding threads and the adhesive.

Of course, a transverse weft thread can be provided on only one of the two surfaces of the sheet or can go alternately above and below the sheet. Also, two or more ribbons or tapes or the like of the kind hereinbefore described can be combined in various directions.

The binding threads are made of any appropriate substance, for instance, Tergal, which does not melt at the temperature of the heating rollers 11, 12.

Instead of an adhesive formed by a thermofusible substance, a glue or paste can be used, which is applied to the weft thread at an appropriate time during manufacture.

I claim:

1. Ribbon, tape, or the like, comprising a sheet of parallel contiguous and uniplanar warp threads, which sheet is one thread thick, and a respective single weft thread on each surface of said sheet and extending sinuously from one edge of said sheet to the other; each weft thread extending over only one surface of said sheet and comprising a heat-resistant core enveloped in a layer of thermofusible substance; said warp threads being inter-, connected by partial imbedment in said thermofusible substance of said weft thread; and two selvedge Warp threads along each edge of said sheet; each weft thread passing between two sel'vedge threads at each edge of said sheet and the two selvedge threads at each sheet edge having relatively reversed positions at each passge of a weft thread therebetween.

2. Ribbon or tape or the like as set forth in claim 1, wherein the warp threads are made of glass fibres.

3. Method of manufacturing a ribbon, tape, or the like comprising the steps of passing, through a ribbon loom, a sheet of parallel contiguous and a uniplanar warp thread while maintaining the warp threads constantly parallel and all in the same plane; feeding, to a shuttle of the loom, a weft thread comprising a heat-resistant core enveloped in a layer of thermofusible substance, while reciprocating the shuttle over the complete width of at least one surface of said sheet to lay the weft thread back and forth across the full width of said sheet; and thereafter briefly applying heat and pressure to said sheet and said weft thread to secure said weft thread to said warp threads by fusion of said layer of thermofusible substance.

4. A method of manufacturing a ribbon, tape, or the like, as claimed in claim 3, comprising the further steps of passing, through the ribbon loom, and together with said sheet two pairs of binding warp threads, one at each selvedge of said sheet; feeding only said binding warp threads through heddles of the loom to impart thereto the conventional shedding motion to reverse the shed positions of said binding warp threads after each passage therethrough of the shuttle carrying said weft thread.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,321,512 6/1943 Prote 161143 X 2,931,091 4/1960 Breen 161173 3,072,512 1/1963 Dalle 161150 X 3,095,338 6/1963 Romanin 161142 3,221,736 12/1965 Heitzmann 139-419 X 3,227,191 1/1966 Juillard 139--383 3,314,841 4/1967 Romanin 161--143 X 3,348,993 10/1967 Sissons 161175 X ROBERT F. BURNETT, Primary Examiner R. L. MAY, Assistant Examiner U.S.Cl.X.R. 

